Congratulations! You graduated! And now what?
Don´t lose momentum! A world of great experiences is awaiting you!
Graduation is a great feeling! But also, a scary one as you are now free to explore all your options. Don´t let fear overwhelm you. Take a deep breath and start embracing your freedom: Your freedom to become who you really are.
It´s OK if you need some time to relax and recharge your batteries. Don’t allow people convince you that you always need to stay busy because guess what! You don´t! Be occupied, be creative, be innovative. Forget all these clichés and allow yourself to get lost to be found when the time comes. And if you make the wrong decisions and mistakes, don´t worry. Nobody has answered all of life´s questions. Why should you?
In the meantime, you will probably consider some of the following options, so here some advice you can find helpful:
Look for a job
Getting that first job is the usual way to go, even if it’s not the easiest. Apart from filling in applications and sending out your best CV version, you need to register in as many job boards as possible and also look for websites that specialise in your industry. For example, if you’re looking for multilingual positions, you can register at Europe Language Jobs.
In general, to get the most out of your job search, you need to treat each day like a working day keeping in mind that networking is very important. An impeccable LinkedIn profile, a professional picture and all the relevant education information is an absolute must. Also, don´t forget to join the groups and follow the recruitment agencies and companies of your interest.
Nowadays, a university degree may not be enough to find a job, so you´ll need to do an internship before you start applying for a job. Depending on the country – and your luck – you may be well paid and some interns are offered permanent contracts afterwards. If you need help when choosing the right internship position abroad, we are happy to give you some good advice from Barcelona.
Further Studies or Direction Change
You can enroll onto a course that will enhance your CV, such as a Javascript course or a new language class; always a good step and it opens a lot of professional doors. Alternatively, and if you´re not quite sure about your career goals, you can think of an interesting postgraduate course. If money is an issue, a scholarship could be an option.
You may have realised that you want to completely change your career path. This may be a difficult decision to make but in this case, there’s no time like the present. That´s the time to be brave following your heart.
In both cases, The Study Abroad Portal offers you a great range of free webinars with prestigious universities that will provide you with a very good image of the available options and help you make your decision.
Volunteering
Volunteering is a great way to gain experience and it can give you the opportunity to travel. We would advise you to keep the theme in line with your field of study. For example, if you studied psychology and want to work in in this field, you can volunteer at a home for the mentally ill or for the children with behavioural issues.
Travel
Young people often feel that they are simply not ready to join the world of work or they just want to live, work or study abroad. Combining travelling with moving forward in your career and your personal development is a great opportunity to get some highly-valued international experience.
On the other hand, if you just want to travel to discover the world, we advise you to choose places that you are unlikely to visit in the future when you´ll have more responsibilities. Travelling can be expensive and graduates don’t leave university with a whole lot of money but Apps such as Couchsurfing and Bla Bla Car can make travelling cheaper than ever before.
Whatever you decide, we wish you very good luck and all the very best!
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